Sister Esther Raitz, RSM, died very peacefully Friday, December 15, 2017. A Sister of Mercy for 74 years she was 90 years old.
Sister Esther was born July 20, 1927 to John and Agnes Margaret (Hoepf) Raitz in Attica, Ohio, and grew up in Tiffin. She was one of eight children; two boys and six girls.
Sister Esther attended Our Lady of Mercy Academy of Fremont for high school. This Academy was for young girls interested in religious life. In 1945 she entered the Sisters of Mercy in Cincinnati, Ohio. She professed vows in 1946 and final vows in 1949. She was initially given the name Sister Mary Charitas. After Vatican II, however, she returned to her baptismal name of Esther.
Sister Esther attended the Athenaeum of Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from Mary Manse College of Toledo Ohio with certification in elementary education. She then spent the next 30 years teaching in various parish schools. These schools included Holy Angels, Sandusky; St. Ann's in Fremont; St Peter's in Upper Sandusky; St. Vincent de Paul's in Toledo; St Catherine's in Toledo; and St Mary's in Mansfield. Sister Esther also served as Director of Religious Education in St. Mary's Hudson, Ohio; St John's Lima, Ohio; and Ascension parish in Cleveland.
To further her education Sister Esther also attended University of Detroit, University of Dayton, Mercy College of Detroit, St Mary's College of the Springs of Columbus, and St. John's College in Cleveland.
In 1980, Sister Esther began her second ministry focus of health care. She became a live-in caregiver for various home bound individuals. Later she worked at St. Francis Rehabilitation Hospital of Green Springs as a Health Care aide.
Her third ministry was volunteerism. She worked tirelessly for many organizations. These included Bridges, a division of Heartbeat; Golden Threads; Clerical volunteer at Memorial Hospital Fremont; RCIA sponsor; communion distributor to shut-ins; visiting at Day Care Centers; and representative of Sisters of Mercy for Women Blessing Women.In 2006 she received the WSOS Advisory Committee Award for outstanding service to senior citizens.
Sister Esther is survived by the members of her religious community, the Sisters of Mercy, and sisters Dolores Brickner, Dorothy Miller and Anna Louise Bailey. She is preceded in death by her parents, brothers Paul and Robert, and sisters Inez Eakin and Mary Lou Navarre.
Visitation will begin Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 2:00pm, with funeral services following at 4:00pm at St. Bernardine Home, 1220 Tiffin Street, Fremont, Ohio, 43420. Burial will follow at Our Lady of The Pines Cemetery. Arrangements were entrusted to Keller- Koch- Chudzinski Funeral Home, Fremont, Ohio.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Sponsored by Hanneman-Keller Funeral Home.
1 Entry
December 19, 2017
Brenda Havens
I have many wonderful memories of Sr. Esther! She was a wonderful volunteer at Heartbeat and a friend to me when I worked at The Pines. May she rest in heaven and hear the words, "Thank you my faithful servant".
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